More GAMA Tidbits
People asked me to find the answers to several questions at the GAMA meeting, if possible. Here are some of those answers.
Anthony Gallela has been appointed as GAMA's new Executive Director. At GenCon, Martin Stever said the plan for the ED search was to announce the position on Monster.com and Craigslist as well as "the usual channels." It wasn't shared with me whether that search happened prior to this appointment.
The Freelancer Track of seminars at GTS '05 will be kept, but the cost for a badge for anyone who isn't a retailer or exhibitor is $150! Badge prices are also going up for retailers ($75 per badge onsite) and for exhibitors ($50 per badge onsite). Academy dues could increase to $50 as well, assuming the Academy survives the OATF process. Independent Academy members and non-exhibiting Communicating Members and Convention Members who want to attend and participate at the GAMA Trade Show will now be expected to pay GAMA between $180 and $200, which comes to half the cost of a Manufacturer's Full Voting Membership, twice the cost of a manufacturer's Associate Membership, 2.6 times the cost of a Retailer Membership.
A rumor that GAMA's financial records were in disarray and being kept on 3x5 cards is UTTERLY FALSE but has been so successfully spread that even some current board members had come to believe it and needed to be corrected and reassured that the rumor IS NOT TRUE.
The lack of a Finance Director or working Treasurer seems to have taken a toll, as I was told the records that the financial condition of the association now is significantly different than the information presented in the GAMA Annual Report in June showed. I did not see any actual numbers, nor was I allowed to participate in the budgeting portion of the meeting, but the Board did kindly bring me up to date on the general conditions so that I could put the doom and gloom "we must cut things to the bone" commentary of the meeting could be put in perspective.
Anthony Gallela has been appointed as GAMA's new Executive Director. At GenCon, Martin Stever said the plan for the ED search was to announce the position on Monster.com and Craigslist as well as "the usual channels." It wasn't shared with me whether that search happened prior to this appointment.
The Freelancer Track of seminars at GTS '05 will be kept, but the cost for a badge for anyone who isn't a retailer or exhibitor is $150! Badge prices are also going up for retailers ($75 per badge onsite) and for exhibitors ($50 per badge onsite). Academy dues could increase to $50 as well, assuming the Academy survives the OATF process. Independent Academy members and non-exhibiting Communicating Members and Convention Members who want to attend and participate at the GAMA Trade Show will now be expected to pay GAMA between $180 and $200, which comes to half the cost of a Manufacturer's Full Voting Membership, twice the cost of a manufacturer's Associate Membership, 2.6 times the cost of a Retailer Membership.
A rumor that GAMA's financial records were in disarray and being kept on 3x5 cards is UTTERLY FALSE but has been so successfully spread that even some current board members had come to believe it and needed to be corrected and reassured that the rumor IS NOT TRUE.
The lack of a Finance Director or working Treasurer seems to have taken a toll, as I was told the records that the financial condition of the association now is significantly different than the information presented in the GAMA Annual Report in June showed. I did not see any actual numbers, nor was I allowed to participate in the budgeting portion of the meeting, but the Board did kindly bring me up to date on the general conditions so that I could put the doom and gloom "we must cut things to the bone" commentary of the meeting could be put in perspective.
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